With simultaneous calls by the vessels Maersk Essen and MSC Valentina, both measuring 366 meters long, San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI) brought a challenging 2023 to a close. This is a new milestone, as it is the second time in the port’s history that this type of operation has taken place.

The record will be repeated for the third time tonight, with the arrival of the MSC Bianca Silvia (also 366 meters long), which will share the berth with the MSC Valentina.

“We are the only terminal in Chile capable of serving two Neopanamax vessels at the same time, thanks to our 930-meter-long wharf. This is a challenge that we can address with our new STS cranes, which let us operate at two sites with the same efficiency we’re used to,” said STI’s general manager, Rodrigo Galleguillos.

Attending the Essen and the Valentina, with 13,100 and 16,616 TEUs of capacity, respectively, involved more than 5,500 movements for the terminal, demonstrating STI’s capacity for serving this type of vessel.

The executive added that it has been a complex year for the industry, which has seen a drop in volumes due to less dynamic local and global economies.  “Even so, STI continues to confirm its leadership as the country’s main port terminal. Although much later than other years given the current conditions, we managed to transfer 1 million TEUs for the twelfth year in a row.”

This milestone was achieved while attending the Maersk Essen, which docked at site 2 and has been at the terminal since December 26.

Finally, Galleguillos recalled that “we are in the last phase of the US$66 million investment plan to boost our transfer capacity to 1.6 million TEUs.”

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San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI), a port operated by SSA Marine and SAAM Terminals, has had the concession for the Molo Sur berth at the Port of San Antonio since January 2000.

This multipurpose port specializing in containerized cargo handles about 45% of containers in the Valparaiso Region and between 25% and 35% of all containers in Chile.